TNF, a serum glycoprotein, has been implicated in mediating or exacerbating various mammalian conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid spondylitis, osteoarthritis, gouty arthritis and other arthritic conditions; sepsis, septic shock, endotoxic shock, gram negative sepsis, toxic shook syndrome, adult respiratory distress syndrome, cerebral malaria, chronic pulmonary inflammatory disease, silicosis, pulmonary sarcoisosis, bone resorption diseases, reperfusion injury, graft vs. host reaction, allograft rejections, fever and myalgias due to infection, such as influenza, cachexia secondary to infection or malignancy, cachexia, secondary to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), AIDS, ARC (AIDS related complex), keloid formation, scar tissue formation, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or pyresis.
AIDS results from the infection of T lymphocytes with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). At least three types or strains of HIV have been identified, i.e., HIV-1, HIV-2 and HIV-3. As a consequence of HIV infection, T-cell mediated immunity is impaired and infected individuals manifest severe opportunistic infections and/or unusual neoplasms. HIV entry into the T lymphocyte requires T lymphocyte activation. Other viruses, such as HIV-1, HIV-2 infect T lymphocytes after T Cell activation and such virus protein expression and/or replication is mediated or maintained by such T cell activation. Once an activated T lymphocyte is infected with HIV, the T lymphocyte must continue to be maintained in an activated state to permit HIV gene expression and/or HIV replication. Monokines, specifically TNF, are implicated in activated T-cell mediated HIV protein expression and/or virus replication by playing a role in maintaining T lymphocyte activation. Therefore, interference with monokine activity such as by inhibition of monokine production, notably TNF, in an HIV-infected individual aids in limiting the maintenance of T cell activation, thereby reducing the progression of HIV infectivity to previously uninfected cells which results in a slowing or elimination of the progression of immune dysfunction caused by HIV infection. Monocytes, macrophages, and related cells, such as kupffer and glial cells, have also been implicated in maintenance of the HIV infection. These cells, like T-cells, are targets for viral replication and the level of vital replication is dependent upon the activation state of the cells. [See Rosenberg et al., The Immunopathogenesis of HIV Infection, Advances in Immunology, Vol. 57, (1989)]. Monokines, such as TNF, have been shown to activate HIV replication in monocytes and/or macrophages [See Poli, et al,, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 87:782-784 (1990)], therefore, inhibition of monokine production or activity aids in limiting HIV progression as stated above for T-cells.
TNF has also been implicated in various roles with other viral infections, such as the cytomegalia virus (CMV), influenza virus, and herpes viruses for similar reasons as those noted.
The ability to control the adverse effects of TNF is furthered by the use of the compounds which inhibit TNF in animals who are in need of such use. There remains a need for compounds which are useful in treating TNF mediated disease states which are exacerbated or caused by the excessive and/or unregulated production of TNF.